Falafel — Vegetarian Chickpea Patties

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Welcome to the wonderful world of Falafel! These delightful vegetarian chickpea patties are a cornerstone of Middle Eastern cuisine, beloved globally as a delicious street food and a wholesome meal. Crispy on the outside, yet soft and herbaceous on the inside, falafel is a celebration of simple, flavorful ingredients. This recipe will show you how to create authentic falafel from scratch, perfect for stuffing into pitas, topping a salad, or enjoying on their own. It's a naturally vegan and satisfying dish that's sure to become a new favorite in your kitchen.

A plate of freshly made falafel served in a pita bread with fresh vegetables and sauce.

Falafel — vegetarian chickpea patties

Preparation: 12 hours
Cooking: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Quantity: 6 Servings
Per serving
Calories: 355 kcal
Proteins: 15 g
Fats: 14 g
Carbohydrates: 44 g

Ingredients for Falafel

  • 250 g dried chickpeas
  • 120 g onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 35 g tkhina (tahini, a sesame seed paste)
  • 20 g parsley
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • sweet ground paprika
  • olive oil
  • zira (cumin), coriander, pepper, salt
  • lavash (a thin flatbread), fresh cucumber, tomato sauce for serving

How to Make Falafel — Vegetarian Chickpea Patties

Place the soaked chickpeas in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add 2 liters of fresh water, and optionally, an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, and a few bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, cover, and cook for two hours over low heat. Salt to taste 20 minutes before they are done.

Let the cooked chickpeas cool in their broth.

A pot of chickpeas boiling in water on a stove, the first step for making falafel.

Boiling the chickpeas

Transfer the beans to a bowl and mash them with a potato masher. The chickpea puree for falafel should have some texture, so a blender is not suitable for this step, but a masher or a meat grinder works perfectly.

Cooked chickpeas in a white bowl being mashed with a metal potato masher.

Mashing the chickpeas

Heat a couple of tablespoons of high-quality olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Add thinly sliced onion half-rings, and after 30 seconds, add finely chopped garlic. Sprinkle the vegetables with a pinch of salt to help them release their juices. Sauté for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, grind a teaspoon of zira (cumin), a teaspoon of coriander, and black pepper to taste in a mortar.

Add the ground spices to the vegetables and heat everything together for a few more minutes.

Chopped onions and garlic being sautéed in a pan with a mix of ground spices.

Sautéing onions and garlic. Adding ground spices and heating everything together

To the cooled chickpea puree, add the sesame paste — tkhina (tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds).

Finely chop a bunch of fresh parsley and add the herbs to the puree bowl.

Next, add the sautéed vegetables with spices.

Tahini paste being added from a spoon into a bowl of mashed chickpeas.

Adding tkhina to the cooled chickpea puree

A handful of chopped fresh parsley being added to the chickpea mixture in a bowl.

Adding fresh herbs

Sautéed onions, garlic, and spices are added to the bowl of mashed chickpeas.

Adding the sautéed vegetables with spices


Add all-purpose wheat flour, sweet ground paprika, and salt to taste. If you want to make gluten-free falafel, replace the wheat flour with chickpea flour.

Flour, paprika, and salt being added to the falafel mixture in a glass bowl.

Adding flour, sweet ground paprika, and salt

Mix the dough thoroughly. If it seems too thick, you can add a couple of tablespoons of the chickpea cooking liquid.

Pour refined olive oil into a non-stick skillet and heat it well.

Form small balls from the dough and place them in the hot oil. By the way, this dish can also be made in a deep fryer.

Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown, then place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

A person's hands thoroughly mixing the falafel dough in a glass bowl.

Mixing the dough thoroughly

Small, round falafel balls being carefully placed into a pan with hot oil for frying.

Placing the dough balls into the hot oil

Golden-brown, freshly fried falafel resting on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Frying the falafel until golden brown and placing them on paper towels


For serving, use fresh lavash (a type of thin, unleavened flatbread) or pitas. On the edge of the lavash, place thinly sliced fresh cucumber, then 2-3 chickpea patties, and drizzle with tomato sauce.

Assembling a falafel wrap: sliced cucumber and falafel patties on a piece of lavash flatbread.

On the edge of the lavash, place cucumber, then 2-3 chickpea patties, and drizzle with tomato sauce

Roll the lavash into wraps and serve immediately.

A finished falafel wrap, rolled into a cone shape and ready to be served and eaten.

Rolling up the lavash into cones and serving the falafel immediately

And there you have it—perfectly golden and delicious homemade falafel! We hope you enjoy the incredible flavors and textures of this timeless dish. Don't be afraid to get creative with how you serve it: try it with a classic tahini sauce, a zesty yogurt dip, or even some spicy hummus. Sharing a platter of fresh falafel with friends and family is a wonderful way to bring a taste of Middle Eastern hospitality to your table. Happy cooking, and enjoy every crispy bite!